Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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357. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment for an update on the work being done by his Department, and agencies under its remit, to facilitate, in line with the commitment under the Programme for Government, the easier return to Ireland for emigrants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56786/25]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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My Department is working closely with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and its Embassy network, as well as other Departments, to implement the Government’s Diaspora Strategy, Global Ireland – Ireland’s Diaspora Strategy 2020-2025, which was launched in late 2020. The effective coordination of the implementation of this strategy across Government is carried out through the Interdepartmental Committee on the Irish Abroad, chaired by the Minister for the Diaspora, and Officials from my Department participate in this Committee. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade leads on the implementation of this strategy.

Global Ireland sets out a number of actions to strengthen our connections with diaspora communities and to harness the contribution from the diaspora to support our economy, including through promoting and facilitating the return of Irish emigrants.

The strategy recognises how returning emigrants bring with them skills and knowledge gained abroad that can help develop both the national and local economies. To support this, the Government also recognises the need to minimise the challenges faced by individuals and families returning to Ireland. The strategy commits to a number of actions to support the return of members of the diaspora. These include monitoring barriers to return and adopting measures to remove them where possible; the negotiation of reciprocal agreements with countries that are home to significant Irish diaspora communities, such as double taxation and social security agreements; improvement of the provision of information on returning to Ireland and providing information for Irish citizens living overseas, including the dissemination of information on skills needs; and the expansion of mutual recognition and the portability of academic or professional qualifications earned overseas.

As part of its ongoing work with the Department of Social Protection and EURES to support tourism employers to target talent pools, Fáilte Ireland’s tourism careers team is supporting EURES’ upcoming Online Job Day: Fáilte Back – Your Career in Ireland this November. This initiative aims to highlight employment opportunities in Ireland for Irish citizens living abroad who are planning or considering a return home. Fáilte Ireland is driving awareness of the initiative across the tourism industry so that businesses can promote their roles, as well as presenting the variety of career opportunities available in the tourism sector to returning Irish citizens.

In addition, the Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) are the first stop shop for anyone looking to start or grow their own business and provide a signposting service for all government supports available to the SME sector. I would encourage any returning emigrants who wish to start their own business to contact the LEO nearest their hometown and enquire about the supports that are available.